Book now, travel later: the impact of promotion restrictions in tourism livestreaming on impulse purchase under prepaid tourism

Purpose This study aims to investigate how promotional restrictions (time and quantity limits) in livestreaming influence consumers’ impulse purchase of tourism prepaid products. It further examines the mediating role of anticipated regret and the moderating effect of destination type (hedonic vs utilitarian). Design/methodology/approach The study uses three scenario-based experiments to test the proposed hypothesis, applying ANOVA and PROCESS analysis. Findings Promotional restrictions significantly increase impulse purchase behavior, mediated by anticipated regret. The interaction between time and quantity restrictions further amplifies this effect. Hedonic destinations strengthen the relationship between restrictions and impulse purchase compared to utilitarian destinations. Originality/value This study extends prepaid products research into tourism contexts and highlights the role of negative emotion, anticipated regret, in shaping impulsive buying in livestreaming. It offers theoretical insights into prepaid products and practical guidance for designing tourism promotion strategies.